


Another One of Morgana's Schemes

by toacastleiwilltakeyou



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Internalized Homophobia, Kisses, M/M, Marriage, Modern Era, morgana and arthur are siblings, not even but still evil morgana
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-25
Updated: 2013-11-25
Packaged: 2018-01-02 15:56:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1058730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toacastleiwilltakeyou/pseuds/toacastleiwilltakeyou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Morgana wants a new brother, and Arthur thinks she's being silly. Until he doesn't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Another One of Morgana's Schemes

Arthur had thought nothing of him (well, nothing in a romantic sense) before Morgana made the demand, but ever since then he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about it. 

“Arthur!” His seven year-old half-sister said. “I really like Merlin. He’d make a great brother. Hurry up and marry him.” 

Arthur had laughed it off at the time, but then the next time he was with Merlin, he couldn’t help but think about it. 

It was a little bit crazy, because for Christ’s sake this was Merlin. Merlin, who was ridiculously clumsy, always said the wrong thing at the wrong time, and had the most ridiculous ears.

Then again, this was Merlin; Merlin who was fiercely loyal and always told Arthur what he needed to hear, even if it wasn’t what Arthur wanted to hear—which was , to Arthur’s dismay, quite often.

And if Arthur were to be honest, he would have to admit that he found Merlin’s ears to be ridiculously endearing. 

On the Brightside, he wasn’t all that honest when it came to his feelings. 

 

The next time Arthur was with Merlin it was different. It wasn’t like he was seeing him for the first time, or anything cliché like that. But it was different, looking at Merlin as a romantic prospect, and not with the platonic filter he used on everyone he was just-friends with. Before, he had just been Merlin, all skinny and gangly. But now that Arthur has taken a moment to look, really look he saw that Merlin was actually lean muscle blanketed in an expanse of pale skin. Merlin’s face alone had so much going for him—those expressive blue eyes, cheek bones sharp enough to cut glass, and lips that were begging to be kissed. 

“Arthur?” Merlin’s voice woke Arthur up from his day dream which may or may not have involved said lips. 

“Hmm?” Was all Arthur could think to say. He was having difficult time keeping his eyes from drifting back to Merlin’s lips. 

“Everything all right?” Merlin’s voice was full of concern and Merlin was chewing on his lip and dammit, Arthur was staring at his lips again. 

“Yeah, just spacing out.” Arthur mustered up. It wasn’t lying. Arthur’s mind was definitely elsewhere, somewhere in which he was alone with Merlin’s lips. 

“Oh? Arthur, are you thinking? I’ve told you how dangerous that is!” Merlin scolded with a smile.

“I think you’ve mentioned it once or twice,” Arthur replied, noticing that Merlin had dimples. When did that happen? 

“Well, it must be something important if you’re risking your few precious brain cells.” Merlin’s smile grew wider as he said this.

Something very important, Arthur wanted to say, but made a noncommittal noise instead.

 

“Soo…care to share?” Merlin asked but the raise of his eyebrows implied that he was demanding. Well, as demanding as Merlin could get. 

“Oh, just something Morgana said,” Arthur answered without really answering. Hopefully Merlin didn’t pick today to mind Arthur’s evasiveness. 

“Oh? What was she scheming about this time?”

“Morgana does not scheme, Merlin,” Arthur replied, hoping to guide the conversation in another direction.

“You and I both know that she spends her free time plotting for world domination,” Merlin quipped. “But really, what’s on your mind?” Merlin added with a pout and if Arthur thought that Merlin’s lips were begging to be kissed before, now they were holding him at gunpoint and demanding it. 

“Yeah,” Arthur tried to focus on Merlin’s eyes and not think about ravishing his best friend. “She said, and I quote, ‘I really like Merlin. Hurry up and marry him.’” Arthur said in his best mock Morgana voice. 

“Oh,” Merlin said, the tips of his ears turning red as he thought about it. “And you were sitting here thinking about it?”

Now it was Arthur’s turn to blush. “Oh, just that Morgana believes she’s entitled to choosing who I spend the rest of my life with,” he bullshitted. He didn’t want Merlin to know that he actually had been thinking about it. Merlin would never let him live it down. Arthur could see Merlin’s smug look already.

“Perhaps you should let Morgana decide, considering that you tried to elope with Sophia,” Merlin said, his mouth tense as if he had a bitter taste in his mouth. 

“Hey! You promised to never speak of her again!” Arthur said in his immediate reaction to hearing that wicked girl’s name. 

Merlin’s only answer was a shrug and he turned back to the forgotten show. 

“Wait a minute, Merlin,” Arthur said as the rest of Merlin’s words had sunk in. “Are you saying I should marry you?”

“Of course you should,” Merlin answered with another cheeky smile that did nothing to cover up the bright blush that Arthur knew Merlin was trying to cover up—At least, he would have known if he wasn’t thinking of all the other things he could do to make Merlin blush. “I’m the only one who would save you from your over-inflated ego.”

“Well, if it’s for the greater good then by all means, Merlin, marry me,”

“You aren’t even going to get down on one knee?” Merlin put a hand over his heart in mock hurt. “Besides, what makes you think I’d want to marry you, prat?”

“If not to avoid Morgana’s wrath, then I suppose because I am rich, handsome, and great in bed,” Arthur said with a cheesy wink.

“I’m sure all the ladies tell you you’re great in bed,” Merlin said sarcastically.

“And the men too,” Arthur shot back.

“Men?” Merlin squeaked, his blue eyes going wide with shock.

“Yes, Merlin, men. Don’t act like you didn’t know…” Arthur trailed off when he saw that Merlin was looking at him like he’d just told him he had a third nipple. 

“Merlin, oh fuck, please don’t tell me you’re uncomfortable with my sexuality or something,” Arthur said when he realized that maybe that was why Merlin looked like he was frozen in shock. 

“No! God no, Arthur. That would be a little bit hypocritical, you know? It’s just you’re so damn casual about it and I grew up in Ealdor for fuck’s sake, and mom always told me not to say anything and I didn’t understand why until another Henry Shaymore came to school with a black eye and everyone was talking about how he was gay and everyone would push him in the hallway and call him ‘faggot’ and—“

“Merlin,” Arthur said, taking hold of his best friend’s shoulders. “Merlin, it’s okay. Take a deep breath.” Arthur said, and then pulled Merlin closer and waited for him to calm down a bit. “Merlin, I’m sorry that you grew up in an environment that wasn’t safe for you. But right here, right now? No one is going to harm you. In fact, if anyone tries, just tell me, and I’ll handle it. You’re safe here.”

Merlin finally met Arthur’s eyes, his own wide with awe and his lips parted slightly. Arthur didn’t realize just how close he was holding the other man until Merlin licked his lips and Arthur couldn’t look away. Arthur wasn’t even aware that he had been leaning forward until they were just a breath’s distance away. 

Arthur paused but then Merlin moved the rest of the way forward and the two men found themselves kissing. It was a chaste kiss, with hardly any movement seeing as they were both in shock that it was actually happening. A moment passed before Merlin moved away.

“Shit! Sorry, Arthur. Just because you’re bi doesn’t mean you’re interested in me, obviously, because we’re friends, obviously, sorry, please don’t—“

Arthur cut Merlin’s panicked babbling off with another kiss and Merlin sat in shock for another moment because he was so damn slow sometimes. Finally, Merlin’s fingers found their way to Arthur’s hair and suddenly it was Merlin who deepened the kiss.

Which, of course, was when Morgana walked in. 

“Oh good, I see Arthur talked to you about getting married then,” she said as if she were mentally checking it off on her to-do list. “I thought he’d never get around to it. Laters,” she said before walking away, shiny black hair bouncing behind her. 

Arthur let out a fond (and definitely not embarrassed) laugh as his sister walked away, turning back to Merlin. Arthur took in Merlin’s flushed cheeks and wide pupils, and decided that yeah, maybe not all of Morgana’s plans (he was not going to call them schemes, dammit) were completely terrible.

**Author's Note:**

> Something cute I wrote most of a while back. Just came across it and added the ending, which is a bit short for my taste...


End file.
